State energy panel right to set 1st computer-efficiency standards

San Francisco Chronicle

May 2, 2015

In this country, we’re fortunate to have energy efficiency standards for so many of the basic goods that power our lives — standards for everything from automobiles to refrigerators to electric motors. So why don’t we have any standards for computers?

In 2015, computers definitely count as a crucial and everyday device for many Americans. These devices use an ever-growing share of our energy use: The California Energy Commission estimates that computers and monitors are among the leading users of energy in our state. So it’s right, fair and timely for the commission to consider developing the country’s first-ever standards for energy efficiency in computers.

The commission recently released its first draft standards, which are expected to take effect in January 2017 (for notebooks, small-scale servers and workstation computers) and January 2018 (for desktop computers and thin clients).

The commission estimates that the standards will save consumers 2,702 gigawatt hours per year — an annual reduction of $430 million in utility bills.

The standards will increase manufacturing costs slightly (around $2 for a desktop computer, for example), but consumers should recoup any passed-on price increase with a reduction in their energy bills.

“Household digital devices are one of the largest household users of electricity that have not been addressed by energy standards,” wrote Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, in a brief for the commission. “By 2013, (they) consumed about half as much energy as air conditioning and two-thirds as much as home refrigeration.”

Digital devices are also the fastest-growing source of electricity demand on a national average basis. So creating efficiency standards for these devices will be good for our pocketbooks and good for the planet.

The commission says that with significant improvements, the state can save the equivalent of all home energy consumed by the cities of San Francisco and Santa Clara combined. These standards should be considered low-hanging fruit in the fight against climate change.

That doesn’t mean changing the status quo will be simple or guaranteed.

Overhauling efficiency standards always requires compromises between regulators and manufacturers, who are concerned about their bottom lines and whether or not they’ll be able to shift production to comply with the new standards. The commission has just started taking public comment about the new standards, but at their first workshop on April 15, both of those standard concerns were voiced.

“New technology/components with advanced performance capabilities come at a cost premium to existing parts and have limited production capabilities,” said the Information Technology Industry Council, an industry group, in its public comment to the commission. It’s also concerned about the commission’s cost analysis.

We urge the commission to complete a full and comprehensive public process with all of the involved parties, including the tech manufacturing industry groups, before putting these regulations into final form.

We understand that there may need to be alterations of the timeline as the industry scrambles to secure supply chains and test products.

But there should be no doubt that new standards are necessary.

Energy efficiency is a simple and effective way to help consumers and help the Earth. We understand that technology manufacturers may resent being forced to improve the efficiency of their products — but efficiency is a big part of innovation.

The explosive growth in digital devices has had tremendous impacts for our economy — and if we’re not careful, it might have tremendous impacts on our environment. California is a proven leader on both technology and climate change. By setting the country’s first-ever standards for the efficiency of computers and other devices, the state will lead the way again on an issue that’s calling out for oversight.